Procurement Intern

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) is seeking a Procurement Intern to support procurement and administrative functions, including purchasing processes, vendor communication, data entry, tracking, and preparing procurement documents and reports. The intern will assist with sourcing and solicitation efforts, review specifications and statements of work, and ensure compliance with procurement policies and regulations. Additional duties include providing administrative support, participating in meetings, and coordinating with departments and vendors.

This role provides hands-on exposure to public agency purchasing and contract administration, offering valuable insight into how public agencies acquire goods and services while ensuring transparency, competition, fiscal responsibility, and regulatory compliance. The intern will report to the Procurement Program Manager and may receive guidance from administrative support staff.

About Midpen

Midpen helps plants, animals, and people thrive throughout the greater Santa Cruz Mountains region by preserving a greenbelt of more than 70,000 acres of public open space with 250 miles of trails in 27 extraordinary preserves, permanently protected for natural resource conservation and ecologically sensitive public enjoyment and education. Midpen is a public agency with a focused mission that guides our work, and where every employee makes an impact.

At Midpen, we believe open space is for all. Our public lands are shared spaces provided for the community by the community. All people, regardless of background, deserve respect, dignity, safety, and a sense of belonging.

Requirements

• Current enrollment in an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree program, or trade school in a relevant field or a recent graduate (within the last 12 months).
• Academic background in Public Administration, Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Supply Chain, Purchasing, or a related field.
• Experience, knowledge, or interest in contract administration, data reporting and analysis, data management, and the operations of a public agency is beneficial.
• Understanding of concepts related to generating purchase orders, expense tracking, producing reports, interpretation and application of policies, procedures, and regulations, and vendor coordination is highly desirable; direct experience is a plus but not required.
• Experience with modern office procedures, methods, and computer software and hardware (e.g., Windows & Microsoft Office Suite: Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Experience working in a professional office environment is a plus.

Schedule

• Part-time temporary position, working approximately 20 hours per week (school schedules can be accommodated within regular business days and hours).
• Regular business hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM.
• Interns may work up to a total of 950 hours over a 6-to-9-month period.
• On-site at the Midpen Administrative Office in Los Altos, California.

Expected start date: early November 2026.